I'm still chuckling over something I posted about Dan Gelber's campaign for US Senate here in Florida.
Rep. Kendrick Meek gets an endorsement from former President Bill Clinton and who does Dan Gelber get an endorsement from?
Howie Flipping Klein.
Come on, Dan, you keep this up and you're going to turn into the Charlie Brown of Candidates. You might want to think about getting out of the race before you get your kite caught in a tree.
Oh, and if Karen Thurman offers to hold a football for you to kick, DON"T DO IT!
In my past posts I also talked about how Dan is assuming that if he uses some of the new techniques developed during the Obama campaign he will be successful. But that's not how it works.
The iPod isn't BIG because of marketing techniques, though they certainly help. The iPod is BIG because it is a KILLER AP.
Dan seems to think he can set up an ActBlue Page, do long tail niche marketing, hire Steve Schale and repeat Barack Obama's success in Florida.
But while New Paradigm techniques were important in Obama's campaign, the reason he won in Florida is because HE'S A KILLER AP.
Dan Gelber isn't. At least NOT in the context of a US Senate Democratic primary here in Florida. But he'd make a PERFECT Democracy Czar.
One final comment. The Howie Klein quote that Gelber is pushing around the blogosphere is "The hopes of Florida progressives were answered."
This is a complete crock.
It was recently reported that State Senator Al Lawson was going to challenge Blue Dog Congressman Allen Boyd right here in my own FL-2.
Now, challenging Blue Dogs is a HALLMARK OF PROGRESSIVE POLITICS. As Salon's Glen Greenwald has pointed out:
I honestly don't know of any "progressive bloggers" who blindly support Democrats. I think the strategy of the blogosphere has always been two-pronged -- (1) remove the hideous right-wing beast from power and (2) change the Democratic Party in order to make step (1) worth doing. Those are EQUALLY IMPORTANT goals.
Now, tell me, what can a Gelber candidacy do to help Al Lawson beat Allen Boyd in the primary? Right, nothing.
But, look at the ENORMOUS SYNERGY that would exist between a Meek candidacy and a Lawson candidacy.
Folks, that right there is what I've been talking about this past month and a half.
It's all coming together. And Dan, you need to get out of the way. You're a good man, but this ain't your horse to ride.